Reform advocate: ‘We are really proud of the folks in Murrieta’

MURRIETA – As federal officials prepare again to send busloads of undocumented immigrants to a Border Patrol station in Murrieta, the head of an immigration reform group today praised area residents who turned back buses in protest earlier this week, saying the action had a ”ripple effect” throughout the country.

”A lot of citizens are looking at what happened in Murrieta and want to replicate that,” said William Gheen, executive director of Americans for Legal Immigration. ”We are really proud of the folks in Murrieta.”

Gheen, who spoke as he boarded up his Raleigh, N.C., home in anticipation of Hurricane Arthur, hoped more grassroots activists would openly oppose the arrival of ”illegal immigrants and the agents permitting them to flagrantly break our laws.”

”This is not a natural or random phenomenon,” Gheen said. ”This is an organized effort. It’s about finding new ways to circumvent laws that President Obama and others don’t like. This has nothing to do with a humanitarian situation that just suddenly occurred. It’s being orchestrated.”

Gheen characterized the transfer of migrants to Murrieta and other parts of the country from south Texas as having the look and feel of ”an invasion.”

”Does anybody really know who these illegals are, where they come from?” he wondered. ”How can our government honestly verify that? From what I understand, these people are coached on what to tell federal agents. They’re brought to the border by human smugglers and drug cartels; they’re handed over to the Border Patrol; and then our agents finish the job by accommodating them.”

”The ripple effect from Murrieta is a wake-up call,” Gheen said. ”I would encourage people to stand in front of buses and planes, protest outside federal detention centers. Stop these waves of illegals. Our country and Constitution depend on it.”

Those sympathetic to the migrants, including Assemblyman V. Manuel Perez, D-Coachella, have offered a sharply different view on the asylum-seekers and the reasons for their being brought to Southern California.

Perez released a statement saying his ”heart was heavy” after seeing demonstrators block the buses arriving at the Border Patrol processing center in Murrieta Tuesday afternoon.

”These children and families are desperate, and to me it goes against basic American values to deny them the opportunity to seek safe harbor in our country,” Perez said. ”Rather, I believe our response should be guided by compassion and by the imperative to care for those in need.”

The ACLU of Southern California released a statement describing the actions in Murrieta as ”an ugly turn” in the immigration reform debate.

”Our nation’s refugee laws were created in the aftermath of World War II to ensure that we would never again turn away refugees fleeing death in their home countries,” according to the ACLU. ”They require that everyone who legitimately fears persecution must receive a fair opportunity to make their case before an immigration judge, who can decide each case on the facts presented.

”We also wish, though no law requires it, that refugees fleeing truly terrible conditions in their home countries would be greeted with sympathy rather than fear and xenophobia.”

According to U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement, officials intend to stick with a plan to bus in 140 migrants to the Border Patrol facility in Murrieta every three days for processing.

At what time of day or night the next buses will arrive has not been publicized.

”It is important that we, as Murrieta residents, keep in mind this is a federal action; the city has no authority to prevent this from happening,” according to a Murrieta police statement released today.

Though the city has formally objected to the migrant transfers, there’s nothing local authorities can do to prevent them, police said.

According to ICE, the Border Patrol’s Rio Grande Valley sector has been overwhelmed by the asylum-seekers — estimated at 40,000 so far this year — prompting federal officials to seek other locations to send them until their cases can be assessed.

ICE said the migrants, who are mostly ”women and children,” will be released from federal custody and allowed to stay with friends, family or support groups in Southern California and elsewhere.

Ira Mehlman with the Federation for American Immigration Reform told City News Service earlier this week that there is no way of knowing ”with certainty” the histories of those being brought to the local area, noting they could have gang affiliations or ties to drug cartels.

Mehlman said the president’s 2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, policy initiative has served as an ”inducement” for undocumented immigrants to make a mad dash across the U.S.-Mexico border.

”There’s no question about a surge,” Mehlman said. ”The estimates are 90,000 DACA asylum-seekers this year and 150,000 next year. DACA sends a signal that if you’re a minor, you’ll get to stay in the United States, regardless of immigration status.”

Both Mehlman and Gheen suggested the migrant transfers were part of an Obama administration strategy to gin up the debate in Congress over the possible enactment of immigration reform measures, which many critics have decried as backdoor amnesty.

52 Responses to "Reform advocate: ‘We are really proud of the folks in Murrieta’"

Kyle July 4, 2014 at 10:57 am

It is amazing to me that the protesters are routinely labelled as "haters." Nothing could be further from the truth. The protesters are much more likely to be those who love this great country and are willing to take a stand to defend It. You want to know who the haters are? It is those who flaunt, trash, and disrespect our laws, ignore and work around our Constitution, spit in the eye of those who, like my grandparents, stood in line for the chance and privilege to become an American. If you don’t like our laws, you are not entitled to make your own to fit whatever du jour scheme or political agenda you may have. We have a process of immigration in America, enacted by Congress, and we have political leaders in office who go out of their way to thwart that process to their own political ends. Bravo to those who stand up to the injustices and illegalities hurled our way, in the form of police-caravaned busloads, by the lawless, weak, incompetent, and inept in Washington. I only hope that the Murrieta model serves as a template to the rest of the country in this just and righteous fight.

""This is not a natural or random phenomenon," Gheen said. "This is an organized effort. It’s about finding new ways to circumvent laws that President Obama and others don’t like. This has nothing to do with a humanitarian situation that just suddenly occurred. It’s being orchestrated."

Let’s be honest folks.
As a local citrus farmer with over 20 years in the business, take it from me…
The success of the California agricultural economy rests squarely on the backs of these undocumented immigrants. Period.

Who else would sign up to do this work? Americans? Hahaha!
I hired on a crew of Americans to work my fields during an avocado season(bumper crop). What a mistake. The Americans did not even last a complete season. They were slow and complained that the conditions were too harsh, hours too long, pay too low…

Meanwhile, in another field, my other newly hired crew of undocumented workers absolutely buried the legal workers. No complaints and a consistent job well done. I made enough profit to keep the water on and add about 200 more trees.

This profit was good money that was spent on property taxes, in local nurseries and irrigation supply houses. Don’t tell me immigrants are bad for this country. Our country relies on them to perform all the dirty work.

I’m ashamed of all the foaming at the mouth and flag waving in murrieta.
Shame in you all for protesting these desperate women and children.

Those of you that blame Obama should educate yourself why this is allowed. President Bush put in law that children can not be deported and we are responsible for placement of those children in question. This loop hole is why the children are being sent solo to the USA. Obama is forced now to find finace to solve the issue. Thanks Bush time to fix another issue you left us with. The crappy economy wasn’t enough.

Robertito, with all due respect, I’m not willing to give the country away so you can have a good crop. I grew up in the San Joaquin Valley many years ago where my father and most others I knew worked hard in the fields. Handing the country over wholesale to any one nationality of hundreds of thousands of illegals may be good for your business, but I don’t want to give up my country for your benefit. If there are those who want to come here to live and work, let them do so legally…there are reasons for those laws.

@Roberto – you bring up a valid argument. Two ways to answer it: Guest worker (which I am opposed to) or … stop welfare, food stamps and other hand outs to those able to work (would have to be grandfathered in – too many have lost any work ethic); lets say that they are receiving $X from the government; for every $2 they earn, cut $1 in state payments (and stop calling it an entitlement). Don’t pay extra for extra kids – I, and most if not all of you, waited until I could afford one. At any rate I was not paid extra per kid. They, the “transitioning off welfare people” will then make more working, but not be stuck with excessive child care bills – and as they earn more they will lessen the burden on the welfare system. Many years ago, Americans did all work – their was no “work that Americans won’t do.” Kids will see the penalty for sustenance abuse and lack of education and we will grow a new generation that works so their kids have it better. Right now, too many people are getting aid of one sort or another that provides them a greater life style than if they were to work; right now a welfare mother, for example, can NOT afford to work – she loses too much. Do away with the “all or none” and I think we will see jobs being taken by Americans; and soon they will work as hard, and as well as your illegals. On top of that, massive fines for those employers like you that willingly hire illegals. PLEASE note – I said those that are able to work.

Well, that’s a scary thought….to be blindly obedient to any action carried out by a federal agent….I believe that’s why we have Freedom of Speech. When you say EVERY one of them, do you mean those who were there in support of the illegals also? They seem to be protected when it comes to law-breaking….

To all of those who say we need the illegals because we need the cheap labor….
the rest of us may be directly subsidizing your profits in what it costs us for you to have cheap labor. If we didn’t have all of this ‘cheap labor’, perhaps employers would have to pay respectable wages and then you would have more workers of the type who do not have to and are not willing to live 15 to a house. While the rest of us have neighbors with 15 cars parked in front of the house.

Yes, Robertito and we need to monitor your business and enforce the minimum wage, workers’ compensation payments by your business and inspect your work areas. You want them, you have to pay for them as you want slaves vice workers. Let’s have a look at your books and tax payments by you and your " workers. "

We pay wages that are required by law. Conditions on our fields are compliant with current ag recommendations. Breaks, restrooms, fresh water and proper safety equipment are all mandatory and part of how we work.

After 20 years of doing this type of work, one theme remains constant and unchanged.

Keep that in mind before your next family BBQ. Maybe even say a prayer and give thanks to the immigrants that quietly contribute to your cherished family meals.

I would like to publicly thank all of the undocumented immigrants for their contributions to our state agricultural economy. We would be food insecure and have a weakened economy without your sacrifices. Thank you! Actually, MUCHAS GRACIAS!

Now, I’m going to enjoy my Sunday morning(my only day off) with some blueberry pancakes and fresh squeezed orange juice.

Robertito is exactly right. And this is nothing new. People disliked the Irish and Chinese immigrants who did the dirty work during the previous two centuries. This country has been built on the backs of desperate people seeking a better life. It’s interesting that the folks protesting the illegal immigrants think that they can decide which laws can be broken and which cannot because they are "protecting" the constitution, even though no one has given them the authority to do so- not even the constitution. This country is not being invaded, nor is it’s president a dictator. If anything it is suffering from close-minded elitism that has been brought on by complacency and prosperity. To keep our country great we need to objectively analyze and lead humanely, as difficult as this may be.

Of course we need to uphold the laws. They are created for a purpose and if we do not uphold them, we are defeating the purpose. However, there are always some who do not agree with the laws and / or those who created them.

Its funny that if these were Asian illegal aliens, none of the hispanic racist groups would be here protesting. They only want free and open borders for hispanics. If these were Asian or African, or European illegals, the Tea Party and immigration enforcement folks would still be there. They want the borders enforced for ALL illegal immigrants. It shows you who the real racists are!

Missing from this discussion is what happens to the kids? As orphans, most will end up working in the USA for the drug cartels to make a living, having been hardened by abuse and abandonment.The boys will be working distribution for drug cartels and gangs. The the girls will be pimped out to earn their keep. Most of these kids will wind up in jail or dead. Our immigrant’s are mostly Mexican, so don’t expect them to help out with OTM’s (Other Than Mexican) streaming over. You gabacho’s don’t understand that part of the culture.They are passing through Mexico, and Mexico didn’t notice? Kids? What kids? We don’t see no stinking kids. They don’t give a Rats Behind either. Obama should be made to stand trial for wholesale child endangerment. Instead, the media gives him a pass. He doesn’t even have the decency to place ads in those countries newspapers explaining that "open borders" is misinformation – wink, wink.

I can see OUR TAXES going up to put a band aid on this major issue so Obama can spend more $$$$ Simply drop shipping A FEDERAL LEVEL PROBLEM TO INDIVIDUAL CITIES,STATES LEVELS AND CALLING IT A DAY IS NOT THE ANSWER from this so called leader of OUR COUNTRY BUT IM NOT SURPRISED @ ALL…. GOD BLESS US ALL

OHAND I HEARD THAT SOME GROUPSWERE BURNING "AMERICAN FLAGS" ALSO THAT M.E.C.H.A . GROUPS are joining in on these protests wow isn’t that a program funded by the city school$ That we tax payers are on the Hook For AN ANTI AMERICAN MOVEMENT WOW ALSO for the people trying to make this a religious thing Really… and Is Jesus Christ Going to Pay For This Invasion that will Bleed this Country IN TO A 3RD WORLD IM GETTING DISGUSTED WITH ALL THE ANGLES PEOPLE ARE USING . ALL IT IS DOING IS CAUSING IS A HUGE DIVISION BETWEEN "Americans Of Mexican Descent" And Americans I was Born Here AND LOVE THIS COUNTRY IM ASHAMED OF THE PEOPLE THAT ARE CAUSING THESE TROUBLING ISSUES.

I don’t think anyone here is advocating opening the borders to everyone. Rather, this is about how we as a country go about solving a problem Do we react with hostility in the name of patriotism or do we analyze the situation rationally and humanely. These are minors that we are talking about in Murrieta, albeit a microcosm of the larger problem. We do not have an illegal immigration problem from our northern borders, so it’s pretty safe to say that it’s not the weather that is causing the problem. People immigrating from the south are leaving their families and everything they have (which obviously is not much) and usually paying allot of money to cross the border. Most are coming to earn money and to send some back home. Most will live in not so great areas and will work physically demanding jobs that pay minimum wage or slightly higher. I think that we all need to ask why someone would do this? There are some bad apples as there are with any group, but most will quietly go about their jobs and either have the goal of returning to their country or acquiring citizenship.

No, I think what we need to ask is what many of us have been asking…HOW MANY CAN WE TAKE?..because most of the world seems to want to come here and we can’t take them all….and there is hostility because "humanely" seems to mean taking them all in and we can’t do that and we are being forced to, either by intent or political maneuvering…I ask again, ARE ‘THEY’ LIVING NEXT DOOR TO YOU?

No, I think what we need to ask is what many of us have been asking…HOW MANY CAN WE TAKE?..because most of the world seems to want to come here and we can’t take them all….and there is hostility because "humanely" seems to mean taking them all in and we can’t do that and we are being forced to, either by intent or political maneuvering…I ask again, ARE ‘THEY’ LIVING NEXT DOOR TO YOU?

An internal Border Patrol executive summary confirms that at least 16 unaccompanied illegal minors (those under the age of 18, according to U.S. government policy), are members of the brutal El Salvadorian street gang Mara Salvatrucha

"Border Patrol Agents (BPAs) and Customs and Border Protection Officers (CBPOs), assigned to The Nogales Placement Center (NPC), discovered that 16 unaccompanied alien children (13 El Salvadoran males, two Guatelmalan males and one Honduran male) currently being held at the NPC are members of Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13). The MS-13 gang members admitted to their gang associations following a discovery of graffiti at the NPC. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), and the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) were notified," the summary states. "Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), and the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) were notified."

Let’s be fair here. You are not being intellectually honest here. There are literally millions of poor people in this world. We cannot afford to feed all of them, nor can we deal with a mass movement of people into the country at one time. No country can. While I can absolutely and unequivocally say that I can understand why these impoverished people would take such a risk and try to cross the border into the U.S., I also am practical and rational enough to know that we simply can not feed, educate, clothe, and take in all of the poor impoverished people of the world. We cannot nor should we. We, as a nation, have a right to set whatever standards for immigration that we, the people, so choose, just as any other nation in the world. Mexico, for example, has far far stricter immigration laws than the U.S., and truth be told, there is not any other country in the world that has taken in more of the world’s poor. If anything, the rest of the world should step up and open up their borders more, and or send as much aid as we do to help the poor around the world. With our economy and country in the state it is in, we need to make taking care of our own people a priority for now. As sad as it is to see these poor children, we simply can not afford to allow unchecked immigration. It is not tenable, and NO OTHER NATION in the world would tolerate it

It sounds like Robertito needs to have a busload or unspecified number of busloads of illegal immigrants dumped on his property every 72 hours. How about it, Rob, didn’t you say you were expanding your business?

All this talk about the illegal immigrant children. What about the American children? Do you honestly think spending billions more dollars and upping the already crazy debt is good for them. We are spending money we don’t have and leaving the mess to future generations. How callous is that?

As the population grows this problem will become more acute.
The world’s current growth rate is about 1.14%, representing a doubling time of 61 years and the world’s population of 6.5 billion to become 13 billion by 2067.
Remember the big push to have zero population growth? To bad the people of the world were not smart enough to understand and take the advice.

Yes, Preston. How long now have we had excellent forms of birth control? Humans are so incredibly stupid. They can’t seem to figure things out for themselves. They have to be told what to do by their religious leaders and people in power that only want to control them…not help them.
I started my morning by cleaning up ants that were swarming my desk. Ants are good…I like ants. But, NOT when they are in my house swarming over my stuff. It reminded me of illegals.
For the Americans out there that want to protect our boarders, there is another protest in Murrieta tomorrow 7/10. More bus loads are expected to arrive @ the Boarder Patrol Station @ noon. I guess we will have to start protecting our own boarders because the Feds have no intention of doing so…as a matter of fact, they are behind this Surge!

I always find it interesting that there are people who still want to move to Fallbrook. I tell them that they must be relying on old information. Move here 30 years ago? Yes….move here now? I wouldn’t….not unless you live 6-7 miles out of town and go to Temecula for shopping, ignore "The Village" altogether. It’s mostly barrio now…..

Yes, Fed Up. I moved here 30 years ago because of the great weather . And, thank God, I had enough forsight to buy as far away from town as I could get. I do shop in Temecula and try to avoid downtown Fallbrook. You Fallbrookians who only want cheap labor to better fill your own pockets are going to pay the ultimate price…anarchy caused by marauders invading our land and a ridiculous debt for your children.

Wow! I’d really like to see someone from this paper do an article on the Fed Free Lunch Program at the local elementary schools/high school districts…percentage of entire student population qualifying for the Fed Free Lunch Program…cross that info w/the percentage of hispanic students in those schools…Then cross that info w/the percentage of Migrant students…That info will be SO telling of the Fallbrook Community…more so than the blather above! Bonsall’s will be lower than Fallbrook’s but I bet Murrieta’s is at least as great as Fallbrook’s if not greater numbers?! Even in my parents lifetime, illegal immigration has NEVER been enforced! And, here we are, living in a border county of a border state in a heavy AG area…but let us not forget that another cheap labor utilizer is our local homeowners who don’t want to maintain their own properties or clean their own toilets, watch their own kids…Tell me, has an illegal immigrant taken YOUR job?!

" another cheap labor utilizer is our local homeowners who don’t want to maintain their own properties or clean their own toilets, watch their own kids…Tell me, has an illegal immigrant taken YOUR job?!"…YES kma!

I’m sending this message again since it didn’t get printed the first time???
I went to the Murrieta BPS @11:30 today to help my neighbors. I was told there was not going to be a bus drop today.
The next scheduled drop is in 72 hrs…Sunday 07/13.

****
VILLAGE NEWS NOTE: I have edited the problem wording out. We cannot approve comments that can be interpreted to incite people to violence. There’s your answer. D. Ramsey

This is a terrible article. Can’t the Valley News afford real journalists instead of bloggers posing as reporters? The response from Murrieta residents was an embarrassment nationwide and even the mayor had to redact his words because he realized how backwards the response was after seeing his city chastised for the lack of humanitarian values. Also, who quotes FAIR nowadays? They are a known white supremacist group. Terrible, just terrible.

Well, you obviously must live somewhere else…somewhere unaffected, maybe? It’s “The Village News”, not “The Valley News” and if you’d like to leave directions to your area, I’m sure the busses may be amenable to going there instead…where they will have an Arms Wide Open Reception.

I’m sure that there will always be those who want to allow the entire world to come here….and while the intentions are good and your hearts are in the right place, I think the long view is missing. Truly another reason to divide, realign states…do SOMETHING to make it possible for all of the illegals to move to your city, your state, your country ……because we cannot take them all in here.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story was generated by the Valley News, which is owned by Village News Inc. hence any confusion

Aha….thank you, I did not know that there is a Valley News. In any case, we still cannot take them all…at some point the raft overturns. Welcome, how many rooms does your home have? Can you personally take in 20 more people, or is that your tipping point?…and if you can take the 20, will it be yet more difficult for you when they bring into your home 10-15 more children? And then you’re asked to take a few more because they are related to the people you’ve already taken in? When I need a place to live, may I come and live with you? Or what about the families here living in homeless shelters? May we put you down for a few of them?

And, to Welcome.
The Mayor did not retract his words. He said the Jail and yes, this building is just a small jail, full of jail cells, was not meant to house people and therefore WAS NOT a good and humanitarian facility for these people. Of course the Federal government has no intention of housing them there. They will be sent out into the surrounding area every 72 hours so another 3 bus loads can be "processed". There is no limit to the number of bus loads that will be processed and released there. Do you really think this is a good and humanitarian thing for our country?

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